Originally published in DUTCH the Magazine, November/December 2023
Can a humble root vegetable be transformed into a mighty political weapon? More to the point, did the Dutch do just that when they used selective cross-breeding to turn pale yellow or purple-hued carrots into the bright orange veggie we eat today? The answer calls for a deep dive into 16th-century horticulture, geopolitics, and the changing fortunes of the House of Orange-Nassau.
According to the World Carrot Museum, an online trove of data about the crunchy vegetable loaded with fiber and beta-carotene, wild carrots were originally white or yellow. When first domesticated nearly 5,000 years ago in the Iranian Plateau and Persia, their colors changed to shades of purple and gold. For some 600 years, most carrots had a violet tinge.
Orange Carrots Make Their Debut
Fast-forward to the 16th century, when the Netherlands had become one of Europe’s main agricultural forces, as well as a hub of innovation and trade. The Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), also known as the Dutch East India Company, imported carrot seeds in the Dutch Golden Age, when it was the largest and most impressive of the European trading companies operating in Asia. In addition to seeds, VOC traders brought back knowledge about plant genetics that helped Dutch horticulturalists cross-breed strains. In the process, they developed a carrot loaded with beta-carotene, the antioxidant that produces the root’s vibrant color.
Orange carrots were more uniform than other varieties and grew well in the Netherlands’ mild, wet climate. More important for traders, they sold better, both domestically and across Europe. As exports grew, so did the popularity of orange carrots, eventually making them the norm. Photo credit: liveeatlearn.com
While older white and purple stock are back in fashion as heritage varieties, orange carrots are now the most widely consumed variety globally, accounting for approximately 85% of production. But what does that have to do with the House of Orange-Nassau? A look into the rear-view mirror of Dutch history will reveal the connection.
William of Orange Becomes “Father of the Netherlands”
In the late 16th century, the Low Countries were a collection of provinces and fiefs ruled by Habsburg monarchs in Madrid as the Spanish Netherlands. Trouble for the Spanish began brewing when 11-year-old William of the German House of Nassau inherited the principality of Orange in southern France, as well as land in Germany and the Low Countries – the present-day Netherlands and Belgium. Born in Dillenburg Castle in Nassau (now part of Germany), William was crowned Prince of Orange in 1544. His benefactor was René of Chalon, a paternal cousin who died with no surviving children.
As a wealthy nobleman, Prince William served in the Habsburg court in the Spanish Netherlands. Despite his Catholic upbringing, he believed in religious freedom and became alarmed at the persecution of Dutch Protestants, as well as the centralization of power under Spanish rule. Photo credit: Rijksmuseum.nl
Flipping on his masters, William led the Dutch revolt against Spain that instigated the War of Independence, resulting in a self-governing Dutch Republic 80 years later. For his pivotal role, he was dubbed “Father of the Netherlands.” Declared an outlaw by the Spanish king, he was assassinated in Delft in 1584, long before independence was declared in 1648. With his untimely death, William of Orange ultimately became “William the Silent,” a nickname earned not because he said little in life, but because he did not reveal his thoughts.
After the murder, the color embedded in his name became a symbol of Dutch national pride. It was prominent in 16th-century heraldry and soldiers fighting for Dutch independence wore orange into battle. In addition to founding one of the Netherlands’ most influential dynasties, William of Orange contributed the country’s alias – l’Oranje – and the bright color that goes with it to Dutch iconography.
In 1609, a truce with Spain launched the Orange-Nassau dynasty into a new phase of influence. William’s son and his wife presided over a court funded by global imports and gold from captured Spanish ships. As luxury trendsetters, the couple liked to flaunt treasures acquired through the VOC in the East and the WIC (Dutch West India Company) in the West.
The Rise of Oranjekoorts
As centuries rolled by, the House of Orange-Nassau continued to produce leaders. Indeed, long before the Netherlands became a monarchy in 1813, members were kings of Prussia, England, Wales and Scotland. As the family’s glory spread, William’s progeny built castles named Oranjewoud, Oranienstein, Oranienburg and Oranienbaum. In these palatial estates, princesses decorated with bunches of orange, further ingraining the family name and the color associated with it into Dutch history.
Following their lead, establishments in the Netherlands were increasingly incorporating orange into their marketing, nudging the color into its current prominence. The national football team, affectionately dubbed Oranje, is cheered on by the Orange Legion, an army of fans able to turn every stadium they hit completely orange. Similarly, a sea of orange floods stands when Dutch-Belgian 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Champion race car driver Max Verstappen competes under the Dutch flag, supported by his own Orange Army.
The most over-the-top annual celebration of orange in the Netherlands is King’s Day. On April 27, Dutchies take to streets, bars and canals, covered head-to-toe in orange garb.
When oranjekoorts (orange fever) hits, everyone forgets the national mantra, doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg (just act normal, it’s already crazy enough) in favor of behaving as ridiculously as possible.
The nationwide birthday party honors the current monarch of the House of Orange-Nassau, King Willem-Alexander, with choruses of oranje boven, oranje boven, leve de Koning! (orange on top, orange on top, long live the King!)
The Carrot as a Stick
While orange was seen as patriotic after William of Orange’s unfortunate demise, the color became provocative with political upheaval that was turning the Netherlands into a republic. As fortunes of the House of Orange-Nassau waxed and waned, orange carrots were sometimes banned in Dutch markets.
When the Patriot movement revolted against the royal house in the late 18th century, orange became the color of sedition. After forcing William of Orange’s reigning descendent to leave the Hague, Patriots declared orange carrots provocative – “an offensive tribute to the monarchy,” reports Simon Schama in Patriots and Liberators: Revolution in the Netherlands.
Another interpretation of oranje boven might involve the first iteration of the Dutch flag. Designed by William of Orange himself, it was originally orange, white and blue. The orange stripe later became red for reasons that vary according to what theory you believe.
Nevertheless, a slender orange pennant is still flown above the national flag on public holidays associated with the royal family.
To support the Orange-Nassau dynasty, the Dutch public could consume humble carrots mashed into traditional stews like hutspot. For their own branding, the royal family chose oranges, even though the principality of Orange had no connection with the fruit beyond possibly being on a trade route. Yet princesses created the link, planting orange trees in their gardens and posing for paintings holding oranges or orange marmalade – tokens of luxury in the Golden Age. One princess even set up an orange liqueur distillery, further linking the color shared by the sweet fruit and the humble vegetable with the powerful House of Orange-Nassau.
Which Came First?
This brings us to the central question: which came first, the orange carrot or the House of Orange-Nassau? Like the age-old quandry about whether the chicken preceded the egg or vice-versa, theories vary. According to one, orange carrots were developed to honor William of Orange and the House of Orange-Nassau. But did William use the orange carrot as a stick to pressure horticulturalists into developing the new strain? Did he subsequently promote the vibrant veggie’s color as a national symbol?
For answers, let’s return to the website comedian Dave Barry describes as reflecting “a level of interest in carrots that would probably trouble a psychiatric professional” – the World Carrot Museum. Calling the association between the House of Orange and orange carrots “an apocryphal tale dreamed up by historians,” curator John Stolarczyk insists that Dutchies adopted orange as their national color, then added orange carrots to the list of items honoring the royal family.
The conclusion is supported by Spanish documents showing the cultivation of orange and purple carrots as far back as medieval times. Some postulate they were introduced in Europe by Islamic traders moving between the Ottoman Empire’s North African territories and the Iberian Peninsula, two centuries before William of Orange began stirring up insurrection in the Netherlands.
While mass popularity of the orange root appears to date from the Dutch Golden Age, it’s unlikely honoring William of Orange had anything to do with it, Stolarczyk maintains. “Orange carrots were never developed solely to honor the royal family, no matter how often the Dutch repeat this myth,” he concludes. What’s certain is this: whatever their origins, both the House of Orange-Nassau and the color orange are deeply rooted in Dutch history and culture. If you have any doubts, mark your calendar for the next Koningsdag or international soccer match.
Can a wannabe king hustle a bike for his queen-wife? On Koningsdag, all bets are off.
